Russia has been providing military assistance to Syria in its fight against terrorists since September 2015 at the official request of the Syrian government.

The Russian military assistance has proved effective as Syrians continue to recapture key areas from Daesh militants and other Takfiri terrorist groups across the country with the backing of Russian air cover.

In addition to anti-terror campaign, efforts are underway to find a political solution to the ongoing militancy in Syria.

At least nine rounds of crisis resolution talks between the Syrian government and the opposition, mediated by Iran, Russia and Turkey, have been held in Astana over the past months.

The trio has been mediating the negotiations in the Kazakh capital since January 2017, a month after they joined efforts and brought about an all-Syria ceasefire. The three states act as the guarantors of the truce.

The Astana peace process has significantly helped reduce the violence in Syria through the formation of four de-escalation zones in the country, setting the stage for Syria’s warring sides to focus on negotiations on the political future of their homeland.

The talks in Astana have been going on in tandem with another series of talks held in Geneva and brokered by the UN. Previous rounds of negotiations under the auspices of the UN over the past five years have failed to achieve tangible results.